A group of recruits moved through what appeared to be a natural cave system, wide smiles on their faces as they pushed forward at full speed.
"Hahaha, this is truly awesome."
"No kidding. These underground tunnels weren't on the map. Maybe they've been sealed for who knows how many years."
"We're unbelievably lucky. This route lets us bypass so many dangerous areas. Who knows—we might even end up being the first ones to reach the finish line!"
Excitement surged through the group at that idea. They were strong, yes, but none of them were considered special. All of them ranked somewhere in the low hundreds. Reaching the finish ahead of everyone else would be a blessing—and a rare chance to prove their worth.
Of course, the cave system wasn't empty. They had avoided many dangers, but a place like this was never without threats. A moment later, another wave of xeno beasts—giant rats the size of dogs—burst from the darkness ahead.
The recruits instantly raised their guns and melee weapons, sliding into formation as they braced for combat. The monstrous rats were crushed by their combined strength, but they came in dozens, and the battle slowly became more taxing.
Before the situation could worsen, one of the recruits shouted, "I'm ready!"
The others immediately retreated several meters, giving him space. The young man extended his hand—and a moment later, a massive burst of lightning erupted from his body, ripping through the swarm in front of them. The rats shrieked as their bodies burned and charred under the electric onslaught.
As soon as the attack ended, a wave of exhaustion hit him. His genetic ability was powerful, but its charge time was long—and using it once nearly drained him completely. Even so, he couldn't help but smile as he saw the admiration in his comrades' eyes.
"Let's move," he said with a weak grin.
The group collected the beasts' hearts and continued deeper into the tunnels.
---
Elsewhere, a young man battled a xeno beast resembling an enormous gorilla, nearly twice his size. Their fight was a brutal melee exchange. The beast's physical power was terrifying, yet every time its fists slammed into the young man, the bones in its knuckles cracked as though striking reinforced metal.
Vorg bared his teeth in a fierce grin. He lunged forward, driving the back edge of his halberd beneath the creature's armpit, severing tendons and muscle. With a sharp twist, he used the momentum to rotate the weapon and carve through the beast's neck in a single, fluid motion.
---
High above another region, a young man dove from the sky at frightening speed. His descent accelerated until he crashed a brutal kick into the skull of a massive xeno beast shaped like an elephant with four massive tusks. The creature trembled but remained standing, swinging its trunk in an attempt to crush him.
But Zendo shot upward, his body lifting into the air as he hovered above the creature. He aimed his Dawnfire Hybrid Sidearm at the back of its head and pulled the trigger. A fountain of blood erupted. A moment later, he descended again, striking decisively with his sword to finish the beast.
---
In yet another area, dozens of xeno insects resembling oversized grasshoppers rushed a young man with shocking speed. They came from every angle, wings buzzing and mandibles snapping.
But the young man met each attack flawlessly. His combat knife moved with perfect timing, slicing through one creature, then another. Not a single insect was able to touch him.
Michael proved once again why he was considered the number one recruit when it came to handling melee weapons. Surrounded on all sides, he continued fighting without suffering a single scratch.
---
A massive V-Rex roared as it lunged toward a lone young man. The creature's jaws held enough force to crush anything in its path, and its enormous head plowed through trees as if they were grass.
Yet just before it reached him, the young man lifted his gun and squeezed the trigger three times.
The first bullet struck dead center on the V-Rex's snout, blasting a hole into it and stunning the beast. The second followed instantly, ripping deeper into the now-weakened nasal bone. The third bullet traveled along the path carved by the others and drilled straight into the creature's brain.
Arthur stood composed and calm as always while the beast collapsed beside him.
---
Finally, in another part of Akai, a young man with brown hair and golden eyes had just finished killing a group of xeno beasts. As he stared at the path ahead, a complicated expression crossed his face. He felt exhausted, and the pressure of moving forward weighed heavier every time he advanced.
The sensation was deeply bothersome… but there was a way to silence it.
Pierce immediately reached into his pack and pulled out the small figurine. The moment he ran his fingers across its smooth surface, the feelings of weakness, fear, and frustration dissolved. In their place rose a warm sense of accomplishment, calm, and strength. It made him feel as if he could overcome anything.
When he first found the figurine, he only needed to hold it once a day. But as he ventured deeper, the unpleasant emotions returned more frequently—forcing him to use the figurine more often. Soon, he needed it ten, maybe even fifteen times a day.
It no longer worked by simply being looked at. He had to touch it… caress it… show his devotion to it.
Only then would it reward him with peace and happiness.
The young man refused to accept that anything was wrong with him, but even a fool could have seen the truth. His behavior was that of an addict—clingy, restless, unable to function without the figurine. He needed it to move forward, needed it to breathe, needed it simply to remain upright.
And unlike drugs or stimulants, this was far more dangerous. The power within the figurine was something far beyond anything Pierce could explain or even imagine, yet it had already sunk its claws deep into his mind and body.
He didn't even notice how the figurine's tiny eyes had begun to move—how they shifted slightly, watching him. Nor did he see the faint, eerie smile forming across its marble-like face.
---
An explosive battle raged at the bottom of the canyon.
On one side stood a young man with black hair and red eyes, wielding a gun in one hand and a combat knife in the other. On the opposite side towered a creature that could only be described as a nightmare.
It was a massive, crimson behemoth, its body appearing flayed open, exposing cords of sinew wrapped around jagged, bone-like plates. Its head resembled a chaotic crown, filled with spikes and horn-like protrusions forming a grotesque cage around rows of serrated teeth. Tendrils writhed along its skull. Its limbs were impossibly long and muscular, ending in taloned feet that crushed stone beneath every step.
The first time Sylar looked at the creature, he couldn't help but think of the Myceliarchy. Its deformity, its pulsing tendrils, its sickening, organic armor—everything about it carried the same horrific aura.
But that didn't matter.
The only thing that mattered was that this xeno beast was, by far, the strongest he had encountered. It pushed him harder than anything before, forcing him to fight at his absolute limit. And precisely because of that, he needed to defeat it.
Sylar's eyes glowed, releasing a beam of golden heat that tore across the canyon and struck the monster's face. The blast was powerful enough to melt the flesh and muscle of a V-Rex, but even that wasn't enough. The creature shielded itself with one of its limbs and counterattacked with another, its clawed leg smashing downward.
Sylar raised his gun and fired several shots. The bullets slammed into the descending limb, stopping it for the briefest moment. Using his Psychic Power, he seized control of the bullets midair, redirecting them in an arc. They plunged down like metallic comets, drilling straight into the creature's skull.
"GRAAARGHH!" The beast shrieked in rage and agony, its entire form trembling. But before Sylar could even consider victory, it surged forward with terrifying speed. Its jaws engulfed him in an instant.
The monstrous maw clamped around him, and Sylar was forced to brace with both hands and feet, muscles screaming as the immense pressure threatened to crush him whole. His body trembled, bones creaking—but he did not panic.
His eyes sharpened.
A small metallic cylinder floated out of his backpack, streaking forward in a blur. It dove straight into the beast's throat.
"BOOOOM!"
The explosion burst inside the creature's neck, ripping through its flesh and blasting it backward. The massive body slammed into the ground, twitching once, then fell still.
[You have reached Level 29]
A broad smile spread across Sylar's face. Another level. More Free Points to add to the growing pile.
He approached the corpse to decide whether to extract anything useful—only for the ground to shake violently.
A massive explosion tore through the distant mountains, the blast echoing like thunder across the canyon. Sylar spun toward the source, eyes narrowing as he saw a pillar of electric energy shooting into the sky.
This was a Death World. Every shred of civilization, technology, and infrastructure had long been erased. For energy of that scale to appear here…
Someone—or something—had caused it.
And whatever it was, Sylar knew one thing with absolute certainty.
"It's dangerous."